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How The Shoulder Rolls

By Greg Jones

13/04/2022

Shoulder pain can be difficult to overcome. Consistency pays off.

Being a coastal town, many people here swim, surf and paddle. This means you need both good shoulder strength and range of movement to enjoy these beautiful warm waters at the moment.

The shoulder is an amazing structure which comprises of the scapula (shoulder blade) sitting on the back of the chest wall and the upper arm bone (humerus) attaching to the side of the scapula. This creates a ball and socket joint. The shoulder joint has the most range of movement than any other joint in the body. To achieve this movement, the socket is very shallow, thus giving less general stability compared to the hip joint.

To ensure correct biomechanics of the shoulder joint, your four surrounding rotator cuff muscles work together as a team to help the ball roll and glide effectively in the socket. This helps maintain stability and strength throughout all movements.

If one (or more) rotator cuff muscles are not working effectively, the ball will not roll and glide properly and may start to cause discomfort in the shoulder, usually under the AC (acromio-clavicular) joint.

Most of the time, due to the discomfort of the shoulder, your muscles will subconsciously adapt to avoid the discomfort, over time your normal movement patterns start to change and it is often difficult to return to normal activity.

Addressing your shoulder pain early is important to avoid these altered movement patterns. It is also important to know which structures are affected to address the insufficiencies in the shoulder and to determine if you require an individualised rehabilitation program, scans or an orthopaedic review (if really bad).

At Physical Edge Healthcare, all our physiotherapists are trained in assessing the complexities of the shoulder joint, we can give you an effective diagnosis and an individualized game-plan to get you back doing what you want pain free.

If you are experiencing shoulder discomfort, do not ignore it as it will often gradually get more irritable and painful. Often, as the shoulder becomes more painful, it can take much longer to get better. Don't wait and start your rehab now.